Electrical receptacle construction



May l5, 1928. l

R. B. BENJAMIN ELECTRICAL RECEPTAGLE CONSTRUCTION Filed March, 1925 2 shets-sheet 1 "le Y HTTUR'NEYE.

May 15, wz.A 1,e70;091

R. B. BENJAMIN ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE CONSTRUCTION Filedl March 9, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

HTT'URNEYE.

Patented May 1.5, 1928.

UNITED; ,STAT

y y 1,670,091 PATENTE K- nere-n.

EEUBEN n. BENJAMIN, OE iCnICAGo, ILLINoIs,nfssIeNon 4To BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE CHICAGO, I-LLENOIS, A .CORPORATION OE ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL EECEPTACLE ooNsTRUCTION.

Applicationy filed March 9, 1923. Serial 119.1623811.

My invention' relates to electrical receptacle construction, and more particularly to a husk socket construction. I One of the objects of 'my 'inventionis to a sub-assembly including an 'insulating base and receptacle'contact is readily attachable and detachable with respect to the enclosing husk without the use of tools. i y

A further object of my 4invention is to provide a husk socket construction which willl be cheap to manufacture vand durable and efficient 4in use.

. A further object 'ofmy invention is to provide" a husk socket interior which can be readily'attaohed and ldetached with respectto either a'straight husk, oran angle husk.'

' Further objects will appeary from 'the detailed4 description to vfollow and' from y, the appended claims.

In the,` drawings in which two' 'embodr ments of 'my invention are Shownview of a husk socket; l v y y Fig. 2 is a part sectional, part elevational view at right angles to Fig. 1; n Fig. 3 isa section on' 'the line 3-3 of' Fig. 11;

' Fig. L is a top plan view of the hus'k socket3" l "Figj is `ah'ottom view of Fig. 45

y Fig. 6r risa plan view of an insulating Washer? vl 1"-i'g'."7 is a section on the line-7-7 of FFig 8 is a section on Vthe line 8-8 of Figy) isa sectional view showing an angle husk socket construction;v

'y Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing the way the supporting members and fibre cap Lare secured' inside the husk; and V l Fig. 11 is a section on the line; 11`11 of Referring now to the drawings 'in detail, fthe husk socket construction shown therein comprises a husk 10,a sub-assemblycomprising an insulating base' 1l, `a threaded vshell Contact 12, a center contact 13, a switch of the interior mechanism 14V and binding screws I5 and 16` all mounted on said base, and .an insulating 'fibre sleeveorcup 17 ,surrounding the thread- `ed shell Contact v12, andk means for detachably provide a husk socket construction in which 'Fi'g. 1 is appart sectional,'part elevational securing the `sub-assembly in-the com-` prising al p air of `springarms 18, embracing the 'insulating basell, and extending down into the space ybetween the insulating sleeve 17 and the lower portion of thel husk 10, in position where'they'can be engaged by the finger-and thumb, to push the spring arms 18 outwardly away -from each other, and away from the. insulatingbase 11,;to release. the insulatingl base ll'from engagement with the springfarms 18, to permit the removal of the subassem'bly. l

The spring arms 18may be formed as parts 'of an integral sheet member' stamping, the central portion of which is rigidly secured Ito a nut 1191, which is threadedtonto the threaded nipple '20, on which the husk'lO is mounted. rThe husk l0 is clamped .between the shoulder 2l of the nipple 20 andthe nut 19 which carries ythe spring arms 18. y Y The engagement between 'the Aspring arms 18 andthe sub-assembly is eected by providing the spring arms with notches22, to receive lugs '23 onthe insulating base l1.

The l`insulating vbase 11 is provided with grooves 24 in lits sides,'to 'receive the spring 18. 'An insulating fibrevcap or cover 25 is Vprovided above the .insulating jbase ll,

ametrically vopposed notchesin the fibre cap,

to receive the 'spring arms,` the spring arms themselves beingprovided with shoulders at 26, to hold the fibre cap up in place.y

Theman-nerfof securing .the spring arms vand fibre 'caps lin place in thehusk 10 is indicated :in Fig. Vv10 'which shows a Spanner wrenchf27,`having wrench engaging fingers @28, lWhichcan be inserted through the .di-

ametrica'lly opposed openings 29 (Fig. 6) in the fibre cap 25, and engaged with theopposite sides of thefnut'19, which carries the spring arms 18. By turni-ng the Spanner wrench 27., "the nut 19 is screwed Vontoythe threaded nipple 2O to secure thespri-ng arms "in the husk l0, and. to secure the husk 10 on the nipple .20.' y

The switch mechanism 14 mounted on the insulating hase 11, mayV be of any vsuitable construction provided with va pull chain ,30

rdA

which extends .downinside the husk 10,` and Y i vbetween the lamp 131 and the shade 32, which `is secured tothe husk l0. y

`Thisswitch mechanism ,14 controls `the cir- Y cuit between the binding screw 16 and the taneously, one break being between the spring contacts 34 andv 35, the other being between the spring contact and the rotat-v able'contact 36. The spring contacts 34 and 35 are insulated from each other by a fibre disc 38a (Figsj8 and 11). s

The binding screw 15 is always electrically vconnectedwith the shell'contact 12 through the binding plate 39 and the conducting screw--V c l In assembling the construction, the subassembly comprising the insulating base 11, the receptacle contacts 12 and 13, the switch mechanism 14, the wiring terminals 15 and 16 and the insulating sleeve `17, is first assembled las Aalunit; the fibre cap 25 is slipped t27,l and thesub-assembly referred to is then fslipped into place in the husk 10, between ,the spring arms 18, vthese spring -arms being into place between the spring arms 18, the husk '1,0 is placedin position onthe nipple 20, the nut 19 carrying thefspringarms 18 and thefibre cap 25 is screwed onto the vnipple 2O by means of the spanner wrench sprungV outwardly until the lugs 23l are in position to enter the notches 22 in the spring arms, whereupon `the spring'arms will spring Atoward veach other, the lugs 28 entering the notches 22 and the sub-assembly being lirmly l held in position betweenthe spring arms.'

To release the sub-assembly, all that is necessary `to do is to reach up between the u insulating sleeve 1,7 and the skirt portion fof the husk, and spread the spring iingers y18 apart sufiicientlyto ,free the lugs 23 from their engagement with the spring arms,

whereupon the 'whole sub-assembly can be readilvvdrawn down and out of thehusk.

This removal of thesub-assembly is effected simply by reaching in and grasping the insulating sleeve 17, taking care that the thumb and linger are `inserted between the insulating sleeve 17 and the spring arms 18,

vso the mere insertion of the thumb and finger in position to grasp the sleeve, forces `the spring iingers outwardly. i

The construction shown in Fig. 9 is substantially thesame as that just described,

except that here thespring arms `18 are f formed of a vsheet metalstamping which is. ysecured to the angle husk byv means of anv eyelet or rivet member 41,',Whichv also serves as a closure andornamental `finish `for the upper'portion of the husk. As shown in Figs.L 1, 3 and 7, the insulating base is so constructed that it can be used 'either' for the straight socket shown in Fig. 1, or for the angle socket shown in'Fig. 9, the in sulating base being recessed on' one side, as indicated at 42, to provide clearance for the wires in case an angle husk is used, and being recessed on top as indicated at 43110 Vprovide ample clearance for thev Wires in case the straight socket is used as shown in Figs. 3 and'7.

While I have 'shown but two forms of my Y invention, it is obvious that'it may be embodied in other forms covered and defined by the appended claims. f

This application is a continuation as to common subject matter claimed herein of my copending applications, Serial No. 311,983, filed July 18, 1919, and Serial No.321,832,` tiled September 19, 1919.

`Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tof secure by lUnited States Letters Patent, is:

1. An electrical receptacle construction comprising a sub-assembly including (1) an insulating base; (2) a threaded shell' contact mounted thereon, and (3) 'a sleeve su'rrounding said threaded shellcontact; a husk renclosing said rsub-assemblyv and surrounding said sleeve and spaced therefrom, said husk extending downwardly substantially as far as the'xlower edges f said` sleeve and shell contacts, and means forV detachably securing said sub-assembly in said husk, com'- prisingmeans accessible to the hand of the operatorbetween said husk and lsleeve for detaching the sub-assembly, said securing means'comprising a pair of spring arms secured adjacent the top of the husk and extending down alongsideI said base, on opposite lsides thereof,` and"l extendingl below said insulating base into Ythe space between space between the husk'and sleeve adjacent the ends of the spring arms being unob-` structed and there being Asufficient space between the sleeve andthe ends of the spring arms to'permit the ready insertion of the thumb or finger, whereby the springarms are forced outwardly in the act of grasping the sleeve to release the sub-assembly from the spring arms. i

ics Y ythey sleeve and the husk, in position :to-be engaged by the hand of the operator, the .f

2. An electrical'. receptacle construction comprising a sub-assemblyiincluding (l)` an insulating base; (2) a ythreaded shell contact mounted thereon; and (3) a sleeve Surrounding said threaded shell contact; a husk enclosing said y sub-assembly and surrounding said sleeve andfspaced therefrom, said husk extending downwardl substantially as far as the lower edges o` said sleeve and shell contacts, and'means for detachablynsecuringsaid sub-assemblyin said husk, comprising means accessible to the hand of the operator between said husk and sleeve for detaching the sub-assembly, said securing means comprising a pair of spring arms secured adjacent the top of the husk and extending down alongside said base, on opposite sides thereof, and extending below said insulating base into the space between the sleeve and the husk, Ain position to be engaged by the hand of the operator, said insulating base and spring arms being provided with interengaging means for holding said base between said arms, the space between the husk and sleeve adjacent the ends of the spring arms being unobstructed and there being suficient space between the sleeve and the ends of the spring arms to permit the ready insertion of the thumb or finger, whereby the spring arms are forced outwardly in the act of grasping the sleeve to release the sub-assembly from the spring the sub-assembly, said securing means com-V prising a pair of spring arms secured adjacent the top` of the husk and extending down alongside said base, on opposite sides thereof, and extending below said insulating base into the space between the sleeve and the husk, in position to be engaged by the hand of the operator, said spring arms. and

insulating base having interengaging shoul-` ders wherebysaid base is held between said arms, the space between the husk and sleeve adjacent the ends of the spring arms being unobstructed and there being suicient space between the sleeve and the ends of the spring arms to rpermit the rea'dy insertion ofthe thumb or linger, whereby the spring arms are' forced outwardly in the actof grasping the sleeve to release the sub-assembly from the spring arms. f

4. A husk socket construction comprising a nipple, a husk supported on said nipple, a non-circular wrench-engaging bushing inside the upper end of said husk and threaded on said nipple, a receptacle sub-assembly comprising (l) an insulating base and (2) a 'shell Contact mounted thereon, said subassembly being insertable into said husk through the outer end thereof, means mounted on said bushing for securing said subassembly in place in the husk and an insulating cover carried by said bushing between the insulating base and the upper end of the husk having openings therein for thepassage of a wrench to engage the non-circular wrencl1-engaging portion of the bushing.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub scribed my name.

y REUBEN B. BENJAMiN. 

